Here4 Breathing Red

[Chad_Frazer]

I am running Copter 4.6.3 with a Cube Orange Plus.

Here is the Fd Up Copter Params.

The Problem:

Here4 GPS module is now Breathing Red. No compass is recognized and no GPS recognized when looking with SLCAN. Here4 module is not seen in DroneCan, MavlinkCAN1 or 2 or MCast 1 or 2. Nor is anything showing in CAN GPS Order under SETUP. HW ID shows only the Cube Orange Plus’s internal I2C compass which calibrates and functions fine.

HW ID PIC:

What Happened:

Assembled the drone, it worked fine, GPS worked, compass worked.

Some flights later I get a Breathing Purple light on the Here4. No idea how or why it was able to determine it needed an update but it did. Drone was not flyable while the Purple dragon was breathing.

I looked into this and found what Breath Purple means.

I also found this saying if it is not booting to Breathing Blue then it needs an update.

Ok, updates are great! Let’s do it! I’ll use Mission Planner version 1.3.83.

After MUCH messing around I was able to “see” the node ID #125 Here4 module using the MavLinkCAN 1. It never wanted to show up on the normal SLCAN. I clicked on UPDATE and it updated with the FW version for compass default type RM3100. I SAW IT UPDATE. It was successful. I also want to say it updated to version 2.0 but I can’t be sure. I can only find version explanations here but DO NOT KNOW where Mission Planner found the FW firmware that it used to update the Here4.

Now she boots Breathing Red.

What I’ve Been Able to Tell:

All signs point to a messed up DroneCan node setting somewhere but I’ve checked my parameters against a working version of this drone build (WORKING FOR NOW THAT IS). Constantly I am seeing things like this:

And this:

I can confirm that these settings below are correct:

Go to Config - Full Parameter List page and modify the following parameters:

CAN_D1_PROTOCOL: 1

CAN_D2_PROTOCOL: 1

CAN_P1_DRIVER: 1

CAN_P2_DRIVER: 1

GPS_TYPE: 9

NTF_LED_TYPES: 231

More Clues:

*I have an untouched Here3+ module that I plugged in after removing the Here4 module. I was unable to get it working. Again, all settings for a normal install are correct, it seems to be a messed up CAN bus problem.

*GPS1_CAN_NODEID is 0 instead of 125

Similar problem: Here4 not visible on SLCAN after Firmware Update - #9 by JuanB - Here GPS - Cubepilot

I keep seeing garbage on this feed:

[Juergen-Fahlbusch]

First I can’t check anything as I don’t have these HWs.
But if a closed system is working fine for a time and than changed it states something went wrong.
Normally a closed system don’t know if updates of Firmware are available and so is not requesting for an update. SW is allways following the same route, if a new error arises, which was not happened before something was changed. This could be a SW setting or a HW failure.
To check for a changed SW setting bring the system back in a a stage before the error arises. This is not done by an unintended Firmware update but by a Parameter reset to a backup in best case or to default.
If this don’t work it is most probably some HW issue.

[Chad_Frazer]

I just now wiped the autopilot by installing arduplane then installing arducopter and then selecting Reset to Default.

While it was a brand new firmware for copter 3.6.3 and new defaults the Here4 module was Breathing Red. I swapped out (without changing anything) to the Here3+ and the Here3+ is doing nothing but flashing through all of the light colors in sequence over and over like it’s not being recognized.

Before doing both of these attempts I changed these variables:

CAN_D1_PROTOCOL: 1 set virtual driver of CAN1 to DRONECAN

CAN_D2_PROTOCOL: 1 set virtual driver of CAN 2 to DRONECAN

CAN_P1_DRIVER: 1 set this parameter to enable CAN 1 bus

CAN_P2_DRIVER: 1 set this parameter to enable CAN 2 bus

GPS_TYPE: 9 set the communication protocol type of GPS 1 to DRONECAN

GPS_TYPE2：9 set the communication protocol type of GPS 2 to DRONECAN

NTF_LED_TYPES: 231 Set to DRONECAN for LED type

If this was a hardware issue then the brand new out of the box untouched Here3+ should have worked, no?

I’m BAFFLED.

[Chad_Frazer]

This is the best tutorial I’ve been able to find yet on the install of the Here4 and it is of no help except to say that my Here4 is simply NOT BEING DETECTED and neither is my Here3+, so again, this seems to be a deep problem that a firmware copter 4.6.3 or a Restore to default parameters command does not fix.

I would agree that this has all the ear marks of a hardware problem but I’ve got things going on that contradict that.

[Yuri_Rage]

Mind your language.

I can’t promise this as a fix, but set:

SERIAL3_PROTOCOL,-1
SERIAL4_PROTOCOL,-1

And if you only have one GPS connected, leave GPS2_TYPE zeroed.

[Chad_Frazer]

Will do.

Inspecting the wiring at the moment, will try your fix next.

Visual inspection and continuity checks are good, the wires are not damaged in a way that I can detect.

GPS2_TYPE was and is currently at zero.

Flipping the SR3 and 4 to none did not fix the problem so I put them back to GPS.

Thanks for the try though.

[Chad_Frazer]

GOT THE HERE3+ TO WORK!

I found this nice blurb here:

Note that previous GNSS units, Here3 and so on, have the CAN port wire colours reversed so CAN1 is red, orange, brown, black and CAN2 is green, white, blue, grey as per the original documents.

Plugged in the red/orange/brown/black connector and viola! the Here3+ is currently working!!

I took the Here4 and plugged in ONLY the brown/orange wires into the CAN1 port and no go. I then placed the Grey/Blue into CAN1 port AND ALSO plugged in the brown/orange connector into CAN2 port AND IT WORKS!

My guess is that it will stop working any minute for no discernible reason.

Somehow the control signals got split or the brown/orange wires became active but require the blue/grey/white/green connection to get power? Only when BOTH are connected does the Here4 have what it needs.

1. the Here4 does NOT show up on SLCAN or MAVLinkCAN1 or MAVLinkCAN2
2. the compass and gps is showing up on HW ID but nothing else as mentioned in 1

[Chad_Frazer]

Two compasses on the Here4 with the SAME Address or 124?? Which do I keep?

[Chad_Frazer]

This is still a bastardized setup, I now require both connectors to make this setup work and that makes me nervous.

All signs are now pointing to something going on with the Here4 parameters/update. Since I can not detect it within mission planner’s UAVCAN’s SLCAN I can not re-flash it or change any parameters within it. How do I accomplish this?

[Yuri_Rage]

Suspect a damaged wire on the primary connector (green, blue, white, gray).

Beyond that, recommend you ask for support from CubePilot on their forum (to which you linked earlier).

[Juergen-Fahlbusch]

First you said:

Assembled the drone, it worked fine, GPS worked, compass worked.
Some flights later I get a Breathing Purple light on the Here4.

Now you figured out this strange behaviour with your connectors.
I assume that wires doesn’t jump by its own from one connector to another than a HW fault is most probably.

Due to the manuals on Here3
CAN1::Vcc, CanH, CanL, Gnd == Pin1, Pin2, pPin3, Pin4 == red, brown, orange, black
CAN2::Vcc, CanH, CanL, Gnd == Pin1, Pin2, pPin3, Pin4 == grey, blue, white, green

Due to the manuals on Here4
Only CAN1::Vcc, CanH, CanL, Gnd == Pin1, Pin2, Pin3, Pin4 == grey, white, blue, green

How was your connection initially?
On your tests, did you connect single lines (eg brown/orange) or the complete 4wire connectors

[Chad_Frazer]

I always connected the entire wire set of 4, no connector modifications were made.

@Juergen-Fahlbusch I checked for continuity on each wire on the Here4. I inspected the internal circuits with a magnifying glass as well, no damage and all wires had continuity. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t an intermittent break but it is the best I can do.

[Juergen-Fahlbusch]

SW is deterministic (as long as it is no AI ), so under the same conditions it always runs the same route and if there is a bug it always run in this bug. But without any change of conditions it don’t change this behaviour.
It is hard to say for me as an HW-designer, but HW can change and can get a defect from one moment to the next. Not only broken wires or solderings, also the electronic components can get defective internally.
But I still don’t know how was the connection before the Here4 starts Breathing Purple.
Which connector from Here4 was connected to which port of the Cube Orange before and how is the connection now.

[Chad_Frazer]

@Juergen-Fahlbusch

a

Before it was Breathing Purple the connection was the Here4 to the Blue/Grey/White/Green connector (one of two available dangling at the end of the Here4) was plugged into the CAN1 port of the Cube Orange Plus.

That worked for awhile, then the Purple came. I updated the Here4 via MAVLinkCAN1 found by using UAVCAN mission planner. After that it started to Breath Red. I can no longer access the Here4 module via MAVLinkCAN1 or SLCAN as it simply does not show up as an option, otherwise I would just re-flash the Here4.

Now, the only way I can get it to work is by putting the Blue/Grey/White/Green connector in CAN1 and the Brown/Orange connector into CAN2.

I agree with you that it smacks of HW failure somewhere but I can’t find it.

[Chad_Frazer]

So, I’ve not been able to solve this. right now the Here4 is showing TWO active compasses requiring me to plug in BOTH sets of connectors that it comes with. I can’t get Mission Planner to “see” the Here4 when using SLCAN mode so I can’t get into it to try an update or to tweak the parameters. It appears to be working so for now, I’m leaving it be but I would love to be able to get it to work as intended!

[Joshua_Kordani]

Can you share a screenshot of the CAN device page in mission planner while connected to the flight controller?

[Chad_Frazer]

Is this what you are looking for?

I’ll take a new screen shot ASAP.

[Joshua_Kordani]

Well whatever is happening is crashing the mission planner dronecan thread, so that’s not great. I also can’t see what version of mission planner you’re running. Is it up to date, and were you connected to the cube while you opened this screen? (it doesn’t look like it)

[Chad_Frazer]

Ok, I have all day to mess with this issue.

I am running mission planner 1.3.83 build 1.3.9384.38258

I believe that is the latest version of Mission Planner

Here is a screenshot of a freshly connected Cube Orange Plus running 4.6.3

Also here is the message tab output:

After connecting to SLCAN and opening the inspector this is what I am getting (hearing error bells from windows along with this)

In the upper left corner I was on the menu item “COM3 Quad Rotor” as seen in the first screenshot. Switching to “ALL” and reconnecting changes nothing that I can see.

No matter what happens I am always able to connect or reconnect to the autopilot via COM3 at 115200 baud.

If I try connecting to MAVLinkCAN1 I get this:

As I understand it, ID 10 is the can bus itself and ID 127 is the node number for mission planner. I was expecting to see the Here4 module on this list.

TYVM for taking a look at this!

[Chad_Frazer]

Just to be thorough, here is the DATA tab and the Compass tab:

So I did some research and every HERE4 module has TWO built in compasses but only is normally configured to run one at a time. To me, it looks like both compasses are active, SENSOR_ID#1 and #2. I am under the impression that AK09918 on the I2C bus is the internal compass of the autopilot.